Revenge of the Witch: The Last Apprentice, #1

Only Thomas Ward is left. He's the last hope; the last apprentice. Can Thomas succeed? Will he learn the difference between a benign witch and a malevolent one? Does the Spook's warning against girls with pointy shoes include Alice? And what will happen if Thomas accidentally frees Mother Malkin, the most evil witch in the county?

A New Darkness: Starblade Chronicles, Book 1

Something is terrorizing the villages of the county. People are dying - covered in blood, their faces frozen in fear. But with not a wound on their bodies. Battling creatures of the dark is the job of the local spook, but 17-year-old Thomas Ward never finished his apprenticeship. It will be no easy task to earn the trust of the villagers and to defeat a monster that no one has ever seen. Yet Jenny - a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter - knows an awful lot about this new evil. And she's willing to share what she's learned with Tom…if he takes her on as his apprentice.

The Dark Assassin

In his job as the county's spook, 17-year-old Thomas Ward is used to battling boggarts, witches, and other creatures of the dark. But now he and his apprentice, Jenny, must team up with former rivals and enemies to fight the evil Kobalos warriors intent on destroying the county. The fight has cost the life of a strong ally, Grimalkin, the witch assassin. Determined to end the war with the demons, Tom leads Jenny and Alice to Pendle for one last epic clash. Loyalties will be tested, alliances will be broken, and not everyone will survive.

Arena 13

The first book in the exhilarating new fantasy sequence from Joseph Delaney, the multimillion-selling author of The Spook's Apprentice, the inspiration for the movie Seventh Son. Welcome to Arena 13. Here warriors fight. Death is never far away.... Leif has one ambition: to become the best fighter in the notorious Arena 13. Here punters place wagers on which fighter will draw first blood. And in grudge matches, they bet on which fighter will die.

The Ruins of Gorlan: Ranger's Apprentice, Book 1

Will is small for his age, but agile and energetic. All his life, he has dreamed of becoming a great knight like the father he never knew, so he is devastated when he is rejected as an apprentice to Castle Redmont's Battleschool. Instead he is apprenticed to Halt, the mysterious Ranger whose uncanny ability to move unseen is thought to be the result of black magic. Reluctantly, Will learns to use a Ranger's secret weapons: a bow and arrow, a mottled cloak and a stubborn little pony. It may not be what he longs for, but when he and Halt are sent out to prevention the assassination of the King....

Dragonwatch

In the long-awaited sequel to Fablehaven, the dragons who have been kept at the dragon sanctuaries no longer consider them safe havens but prisons, and they want their freedom. The dragons are no longer our allies....

The Dark Ability

Rsiran is a disappointment to his family, gifted with the ability to Slide. It is a dark magic, one where he can transport himself wherever he wants, but using it will only turn him into the thief his father fears. Forbidden from Sliding, he's apprenticed under his father as a blacksmith where lorcith, a rare, precious metal with arcane properties, calls to him, seducing him into forming forbidden blades. When discovered, he's banished, sentenced indefinitely to the mines of Ilphaesn Mountain.

Elizabeth's Legacy: Royal Institute of Magic, Book 1

Two years after his parents' sudden disappearance, Ben Greenwood stumbles upon a cryptic letter that could shed some light on their whereabouts. But before he can track them down, he'll need to find the mysterious organization that sent the letter: The Royal Institute of Magic. To succeed, Ben will have to navigate a land filled with fantastic creatures and spellshooters, where magic can be bought and sold, to unravel an ancient family secret that could hold the key to defeating an evil the institute has been fighting for the last 500 years.

The Iron Trial: Book One of The Magisterium

Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial. Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail. All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him. So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing. Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.

The Tournament at Gorlan: Ranger's Apprentice: Early Years, Book 1

When Halt and Crowley discover that the ambitious Morgarath has been infiltrating the Rangers in order to corrupt the Corps, the young Rangers travel north to find Prince Duncan, seeking a royal warrant to stop Morgarath before it is too late. By weakening the Rangers, the most powerful force in support of the King, Morgarath plans to steal the throne.

The Outcasts: Brotherband Chronicles, Book 1

They are outcasts. Hal, Stig, and the others - they are the boys the others want no part of. Skandians, as any reader of Ranger's Apprentice could tell you, are known for their size and strength. Not these boys. Yet that doesn't mean they don't have skills. And courage - which they will need every ounce of to do battle at sea against the other bands, the Wolves and the Sharks, in the ultimate race. The icy waters make for a treacherous playing field - especially when not everyone thinks of it as playing.

Black Spark: Dark Magic Enforcer Series, Book 1

I watched in horror as dark magic sprang from my hand faster than an imp after your socks. I didn't know my name, let alone that I had such power. The man was dead. I panicked. I ran. How was I to know I was a dark magic enforcer, tasked with keeping magic hidden from the world? Yeah, total noob move, I know. But my memory is returning, and the Hidden have given me 24 hours to make amends. Cover it up. Finish the job I was given, or else. Failure isn't an option.

Publisher's Summary

"My name is Slither, and before my tale is finished you'll find out why."

The dark is full of terrifying creatures. And Tom Ward - the seventh son of a seventh son, and the Spook's last apprentice - hasn't seen all of them. Far from the county, one named Slither has lived for hundreds of years, hunting blood.

But a dying father binds the monster to a bargain. If Slither will take his two youngest daughters safely to their family in the south, then the eldest daughter, Nessa, is his.

For Nessa the nightmare is just beginning. And when Slither and Nessa cross paths with the feared witch assassin Grimalkin, they will become unwitting players in the quest to stop the Fiend once and for all.

I love this series, and I enjoyed this book , but it barely tied into this series. It didn't have Thomas Ward or Alice in it at all. But, (again) I enjoyed this story, it could have easily been a stand alone book or in a series about Grimalkin. Another enjoyable character. So, my final opinion is that it is a really good story and I enjoyed it. I'm just looking forward to the next story furthering the situations with Alice and Tom. If you enjoy this series you'll know what I am talking about and if you haven't read the series, it is an interesting series, it's worth a try. I really like it.

I am a loyal Delaney fan, and these series are my latest addiction, but this book ruined it for me. I couldn't even get half way. And it wasn't because of the story or Christopher Evan Welch. I absolutely love Christopher Evan Welch. Great narrator. Love even his female performances.But I can't listen to Angela Goethals' performance. No offense and nothing personal. She just ruined it for me. Her performance is completely exaggerated, over dramatic and plain inappropriate for the character and theme. Is like she is reading some dramatic poetry, she tries waaaay too hard. Is just so unsettling and very hard to listen to. Her character is a young girl, and there's no way a young girl in the situation that she is, that anyone would talk like that. PLEASE, for future books, keep Christopher as the sole narrator. He does a great job and is hard to get used to a new (overdramatic and unsettling) new narrator when we are just used to him already. Everything was perfect up until they added Angela.I am returning this audiobook just because I can't take her narration. I just can't. Is ruined.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Can't say much about the story. It was alright so far. Is the performance that ruined it, and I guess I'll never know unless I read it on paper.

What aspect of Christopher Evan Welch and Angela Goethals ’s performance would you have changed?

Just take off Angela Goethals altogether. Christopher Evan Welch does a superb job alone and we are used to him.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The story itself was almost outside the Last Apprentice universe. I have a feeling that Slither and Nessa will tie in to the later books, but while listening I couldn't help but think "How does this relate to Tom Ward?" You could almost read this book as a stand alone in the series. The latter half of the book, after Grimalkin enters to story, is faster paced and more exciting than the first half.

If you’ve listened to books by Joseph Delaney before, how does this one compare?

I agree with everyone else. Welch's characters are better and I am used to hearing him characterize their voices. Alternating between Welsh and Goethals disconnected me from the story. I didn't enjoy this story as much as the others.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Christopher Evan Welch and Angela Goethals ?

Him, yes. Her, no.

Any additional comments?

Pro Tip: Set Angela to 1.25 or 1.5 speed in your Audible app. It speeds her up to normal.

I love this story! It may be different, but I really enjoy seeing the world from the eyes of a potential enemy of grimalkin and Thomas. I get that the girls voice isn't amazing, but it doesn't ruin a good story.

Maybe...I like the strong female characters and being kept in suspense....however, the content made me feel uncomfortable. The creature lives in a world where torture is enjoyed; women and girls are trafficked and brutalized; strong older men prey on young girls holding them down while forcefully taking their blood - this seemed like a type of rape as it was done in their beds at night and it was done to really young girls which I felt was really an unfortunate choice. While these acts certainly exist in our world, I question the choice to use them as topics meant for entertainment in a juvenile fiction....or any aged fiction for that matter. I was ashamed to keep reading such material, but did so as I have read the series leading up to this book and have enjoyed them all. Although the content of the previous books was filled with blood and gore, it didn't cross the line. I felt this one did...for me.

What about Christopher Evan Welch and Angela Goethals ’s performance did you like?

I was already won over by Welch and worried about Goethals after reading the reviews, but in the end I liked her voice and narration - it worked well to alternate between the two.